Obturate

Part of speech: verb

Definitions

1. To block, seal, or close an opening completely using a physical barrier or substance
2. To close or seal an opening by inserting or applying a blocking material or plug
3. To block up or stop an aperture through the insertion of a solid obstruction or sealing agent

Etymology: "Obturate" comes straight from the Latin "obturatus," the past participle of "obturare," which means "to stop up" or "to block." The Latin verb was built from "ob-," meaning "against" or "in the way of," and "turare," a verb meaning "to stuff" or "to plug," so the word's core idea is literally putting something in the way of an opening. English took it directly from that participle and turned it into a verb, so the modern sense of sealing a hole with a plug or blocking material has barely drifted from the Latin image of stuffing something into a gap.

Synonyms: block, seal, stop, close, plug

Antonyms: open, unseal, release, free, allow